Final campaign update
The State Government’s new Low and Mid-Rise Policy has been announced. And Bondi Village is not affected.
Dear Supporter,
You might have seen in the news on Friday that the State Government has announced important updates to its Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy and which areas are affected.
This is the policy that threatened to open large parts of Waverley - including Bondi Village - up to 6-8 storey development in many residential areas. The concern was based on government statements that such development could be allowed within 400-800m of designated ‘town centres’. Until now those areas had not been announced, and there has always been a risk that Bondi Village (and indeed Bondi Road) could be designated as such areas.
We are pleased to announce that Bondi Village has not been designated one of these areas and so will not be affected by this new planning policy. Developers will not be able to bypass local planning and zoning to build 6-8 storeys at will in the Bondi Village area.
This means, as a community group, we have achieved our stated goal.
As such, we would like to thank you for being part of the campaign to Save Bondi Village. Whether you attended a meeting, shared a link or simply spread the word, you have helped. As they say, it takes a Village.
Importantly, we would also like to thank our local councillors who have partnered with us in this cause. In particular:
Having said all this, our home LGA of Waverley is still affected.
Like all LGAs, Waverley has been given ambitious construction targets to meet over the next 5 years. For Waverley it is 2,400 dwellings. While this is low compared to most LGAs, Waverley is already Sydney’s second densest LGA, so finding space for more dwellings in a way that grows our LGA sustainably will always be a challenge.
The State Government has designated the area around Bondi Junction station for the new planning policy to apply to. Looking at the below map, you will see the outlined area is the designated ‘Town Centre’, while the area shaded orange is the affected area.
Not all of the orange area is affected equally. The new rules apply differently for R2 and R3/R4 zones. As such, we have overlaid this information in the map below, then provided information on how each kind of zone is affected.
How R3 and R4 areas are affected
In R3 and R4 zones up to 400m from the station and town centre, developers can now build:
Up to 6 storeys
Floor space ratio: max 2.2:1
Height of building: max 22m
There is no minimum lot size or width (LEP provisions switched off). There is no right of refusal from the council nor response from the community. These are known as ‘non-discretionary’ (also known as ‘non-refusal’) development standards.
This 400m distance covers most areas in the red shaded area.
In R3 and R4 zones 400–800m from the station and town centre, developers can now build:
Up to 4 storeys
Floor space ratio: max 1.5:1
Height of building: max 17.5 m
There is no minimum lot size or width (LEP provisions switched off). There is no right of refusal from the council nor response from the community. These are known as ‘non-discretionary’ (also known as ‘non-refusal’) development standards.
How R2 areas are affected
If the lot size is 600m2 or larger with a street frontage of 12m, developers can build:
Three dwellings on one lot
Floor space ratio: max 0.7:1
Height of building: max 9.5 m
Car parking: 1 space per dwelling
If the lot size is 500m2 or larger with a street frontage of 18m, developers can build:
Three terraces on one lot
Floor space ratio: max 0.7:1
Height of building: max 9.5 m
Car parking: 0.5 space per dwelling
Subdivision min 165 m2 per lot / 6 m width per lot
For both the above, there is no right of refusal from the council nor response from the community. These are known as ‘non-discretionary’ (also known as ‘non-refusal’) development standards.
In all of the above, it is worth noting that the State Government has made no allowance for affordable housing nor has any plan been announced to improve infrastructure, such as schools, to support the growth in new dwellings. These are both key issues in our LGA.
What’s next for Save Bondi Village?
Overall, while Bondi Village (and indeed most of Waverley) has been spared from what had the potential to see it overrun with 6-8 storey apartment blocks, the impact on the areas around Bondi Junction is likely to be significant.
However, at this stage, there is no further obvious response that can be made to the State Government on the matter, so we consider our ‘Too High For Bondi’ campaign closed and thank you again for your support.
Nonetheless, it has always been our stated position that the housing crisis is urgent and we want to see Waverley and Bondi Village play its part - but we want affordability and sustainability. Not just a one size fits all approach that has been aggressively supported by Urban Taskforce for the stated goal of maximising profit.
As such, please expect to see us back sooner rather than later looking for ways to engage you, the community, to support good planning that delivers more housing, more affordably without compromising the environment and community that make Bondi Beach such a wonderful place to live.
Yours,
The team at Save Bondi Village
Disclaimer: Please note that we are a community group - not planners or lawyers - and the above is our best efforts to interpret information that, while readily available online, can be confusing in the detail.
As such, please do not rely on this information for making any decisions. Instead, visit the original links yourself and make your own interpretation:
State Government map of affected areas
Waverley planning map (shows zoning)
Low and Mid Rise Housing Policy (the state govt policy)
Summary of key provisions (how the new laws apply to different zones)